holy spirit

The Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Holy Trinity. However, there is much mystery about who the Holy Spirit is, as well as how He works. In this series, we examine the Person and work of the Spirit of God. In addition, we will look at such topics as spiritual gifts and divine healing. We will discover many exciting truths about the lesser known Person of the Trinity.

THE IDENTITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

In this book we will find out what the Bible has to say about the identity of the Holy Spirit. Who is the Holy Spirit? Is He merely a force that comes from God or is He more than that? In this part of the course we will discover the biblical teaching on the Holy Spirit is that He is God – the Third Person of the Trinity.

THE HOLY SPIRIT HOW HE WORKS

The Bible has much to say about the work of the Holy Spirit. In this book we will find out how the Holy Spirit has worked in the past in His various ministries. In addition, we will consider the present work of the Holy Spirit. This should give us a general understanding of His workings.

THE VARIOUS GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT - WHAT ABILITIES HAS GOD GIVEN TO BELIEVERS?

The Bible says that God has given believers “spiritual gifts” to do the work of the ministry. What are these spiritual gifts? How many of them are there? Who has them? In this book, we look at the different gifts of the Holy Spirit that are listed in the New Testament. Since each and every believer has at least one spiritual gift it is important that we know what our gift is.

ARE ALL SPIRITUAL GIFTS FOR TODAY

The work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer can be divided into two categories – spiritual gifts and the filling of the Holy Spirit. Spiritual gifts are the abilities that God gives each believer to do the work of the ministry while how we allow these gifts to work in our lives comes under the heading of the filling of the Holy Spirit.

This book deals with the various gifts of the Holy Spirit, or spiritual gifts. This subject, which had been neglected for so long among Christians, has now become something of unprecedented interest in recent years.

There are a number of issues concerning spiritual gifts where good people disagree. We will do our best to present the best case that each side offers and let the reader decide which is the most consistent with biblical revelation. Because this area of study is not fundamental to the faith, there is room for disagreement among Bible-believing Christians. We trust that our discussion will add light to a subject that is too often controlled by emotions rather than solid biblical understanding. We have written this book to be used by all Christians – no matter what their particular belief about spiritual gifts. Its purpose is to clearly present the various views that Bible-believing Christians have on this subject. The material is written in such a way that all Christians who want a further understanding of what the Bible says, and what various groups believe about the subject of spiritual gifts, can study and benefit from it. Above all, it is our desire to emphasize what unites us in Jesus Christ – not what divides us.

We have purposefully not taken a stand on this issue. Instead we have presented the best arguments that we could find for both perspectives. This way Christians from various points of view can use this material on this controversial subject. It will help everyone understand why there are fundamental disagreements between Bible-believing Christians regarding these certain gifts. We trust that the exercise of studying spiritual gifts will not only be beneficial intellectually but that it will also encourage each believer to use his or her gift to the fullest extent for advancement of the kingdom of God. Gifts are indeed to be studied; but they are also to be used. Therefore let us learn everything that we can about them and then let us put into practice what we have learned.

BAPTISM WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT

This book deals with the difficult topic of the baptism with the Holy Spirit as well as with the filling of the Holy Spirit. Unfortunately there has been much division among believers as to the meaning of these terms and how they are meant to be appropriated in our lives. Our desire is to give a basic understanding of the various views of this subject with a list of their strengths and weaknesses. We will then come to some conclusions regarding this important ministry of the Holy Spirit.

SPEAKING IN TONGUES

Of all of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the one that has caused more discussion than any of the others is the gift of speaking in tongues. The fact that such a gift was given to the church is acknowledged by every Bible-believer. However, beyond that, there are controversies concerning almost every aspect of the gift. There is debate as to who received the gift. There is a question as to whether women ever spoke in tongues. Differences of opinion exist as to whether the tongue-speaking was in a known language or some type of ecstatic utterance. Finally, there are differences as to whether the gift was to continue in the church.

In this book, we look at these particular issues. It is our desire to give the best arguments that all sides bring forward in an effort to come to some understanding of the issue. Above all, any view we do hold on this particular subject should be held with grace and humility.

DIVINE HEALING: DOES GOD WANT TO HEAL EVERYONE?

One of the most controversial ministries of the Holy Spirit is that of divine healing. Does God want to heal everyone? To what degree is faith involved in the healing of the body? If someone is not healed is that because they did not have enough faith? In this book we consider these, as well as other important issues, regarding the healing of the body.

We will begin by looking at certain misconceptions which are commonly held with respect to the subject of divine healing. After setting the record straight, we will then we have a detailed look at the major issues that surround this subject. This involves looking at what the Old Testament has to say about the subject, the four gospels, the Book of Acts, and the New Testament letters.